Route 66: The Preamble
May 2026
Route 66. The Main Street of America. The Mother Road. Call it what you will, but you will not deny its status at the most iconic and famous road trip in the world - because only those riddled with envy do that. On the day of booking the holiday in November at a branch of Hays Travel in Heswall, I felt somewhat overwhelmed - both with excitement and trepidation. Could we pull this off? Flip side... who cares? This is freedom! Yee-Haw!
Where to start warming up?
When in Widnes library in December, borrowing Becoming a Composer by Errolyn Wallen, I pondered upon some Route 66 literature as well. They had one offering in stock, in Henry Cole's Finding Myself on the Mother Road. He has actually taken 'the California trip' three times. Cole presents the experience largely as a focus on the road surface itself. He delves into what a road trip like Route 66 means for one's mental health; there is a sense of Route 66 being a character builder, and that is definitely an element that I want to take away from it myself.
I have rewatched Billy Connolly's Route 66, which was one of the first travelogues that cemented my desire to do this (although the prospect has been nipping at me since 2005).
Had anybody else done a similar programme on Route 66? It turns out the Hairy Bikers did their own Route 66 trip, broadcast in 2019. I had not actually watched any of their programmes before, despite having heard a lot about them. I thoroughly enjoyed watching their version which, by contrast to the Billy, was focussed more heavily on the cuisine to be found along the route. My hope for our trip is that it will be a blend of the music, local cuisines, American history, and a couple of TV and movie locations. Not to mention the experience of driving the road itself.
Maybe it was Billy Connolly and The Hairy Bikers who inspired me to grow out a scraggy beard, to see how far it would grow between January and May? Not since the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020 - when I toyed with a handlebar moustache - have I been so experimental with my facial hair. I think, as well, it is a symbol of a temporary freedom from the shackles of being 'clean cut' for the benefit of the office.
In preparing for the might of The Mother Road, I have travelled upon what I have christened a 'virtual 66' - utilising a selection of American road movies, and other films that are related (or semi-related) to places we will be stopping at. Much like the preamble for my first outing to Japan in 2011 (in which I introduced myself to Japanese cinema and challenged myself to watch 50 Japanese films), this has been a baptism by the movies.
I had been hearing various good things on social media about a local movie rental store, located in Bebington on the Wirral. The place is called Snips Movies, and it has been a delightful find. Snips is a veritable sweet shop for those of us who prefer to watch a DVD in this age of streaming. And their collection is huge - over twenty-thousand physical media available to rent, including DVD, Blu-Ray, and even VHS (which, yes, I do have the facility to play at home). The first video rental store I can ever remember seeing was on Holmland's Drive in Oxton, in what would have been the early to mid nineties. Too young to go inside, I would glance through the window to observe a gang of teenagers hanging in there; and maybe that is why video rental stores still carry such a 'cool' image in my mind. You need to be something of a rebel-without-a-cause to hang out in them. Irby Village (my home for twenty six years) used to have its own version - it was called Compact Video, and the owner, Mr. Jelley, was a genial character that our family oft remember fondly. (In a similar fashion as we do with our old Ice Cream van man, whom everybody in West Wirral knew as 'Wiggy.')
But Snips Movies takes me back to that video shop in Prenton in the early nineties - it has an edge. Its clientele and owner are big movie buffs. Perhaps they are the same cool teenagers who hung in Prenton all those years ago?
Movies watched:
The Untouchables - a classic (and previously unknown/unseen to me) Robert DeNiro flick, where a bunch of active and retired police officers clump together to take down Al Capone and his cronies. Proper Chicago.
Cadillac Records - a raunchy examination of all the goings-on at the real-life Chess Records in Chicago - and, incidentally, the very building we have booked a tour of, for 2pm on May 5th.
In The Good Old Summertime - a twee Judy Garland film set in Chicago. The reason I watched this was mostly because I know of the song called In The Good Old Summertime - it was parodied by Laurel and Hardy in their short film Below Zero, and the L&H connection will become important when we reach LA.
Easy Rider - the quintessential watch for Route 66, it seems; with a small section of the movie having being filmed on the route, offering a brief glance at one of the muffler men that are dotted along the highway. I rented this one from Snips, and it came with a bonus documentary called Easy Riders, Raging Bulls - all about the fall of 'classic' Hollywood, when more independent productions became the thing - I must confess I did not know about this phenomenon. Easy Rider itself was funded by the same production team behind the Monkees movie Head, which I knew I had on DVD myself somewhere. It was one that my late musical friend Ian Forsyth gave to me, but I had never watched it - I had a root round and found it, along with an old VHS transfer of Easy Rider that he had done for me as well - I had it all along! For sentimental reasons, I am going to watch this version as well. Easy Riders Raging Bulls also put me on to the following movie...
American Graffiti - A Mel's Drive-in/diner is the centerpiece of this movie, and there is a branch of Mel's located at the very location of the historic terminus of Route 66 - that is to say, not the Santa Monica Pier, but rather at the crossing of Lincoln and Olympic Boulevards. We will surely call in there as we take a photo of the Route 66 end sign.
Cars (Pixar). Disney+ helped me out with this one. Although a kids movie which I had never watched, this was a must-see due to its deep connection to Route 66. Many of the characters were based on real people who lived and worked along the route at the time, including Dawn Welch of the Rock Cafe in Stroud Oklahoma (which regrettably we will not be able to visit because it will be closed on the Sunday we drive through). Michael Wallis (more about him later) is another stalwart of Route 66, who voiced the Sheriff in this movie.
Bonnie and Clyde - I had watched this years ago, but not got into it. However, this time was much different. Gene Wilder pulls a great turn as one of the gang's captives - as usual with Gene, he manages to be funny even when he wasn't trying to be, and I adore the man for it.
Convoy an all-American trucker movie starring Kris Kristofferson, and also featuring the late Burt Young, of Rocky fame, whom I met briefly at a Comic Con in Liverpool in 2019. On a Kristofferson momentum, I decided to rent the 1976 version of A Star is Born, with Kristofferson and Barbara Streisand. I had seen the Judy Garland version a few years previously, but Kristofferson is someone who totally embodies the 70's American macho man (a la Chuck Norris), and so I knew this version would lend itself to a US road trip theme.
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - Yet another Kristofferson outing. I am not normally one for Westerns, but I have to say this is one of the best ones I have seen, no doubt helped by the presence of Bob Dylan, and learning that the song Knocking On Heaven's Door (an old Clapton favourite as well, of course) was actually penned by Dylan for the film.
Paris, Texas. This one was actually recommended by ChatGPT, and I cannot thank the AI app enough. What a find! One of those quietly cerebral films (not unlike something from Japan), dealing with the pains of life, and mostly set on the great plains of Texas. Another ChatGPT recommendation was No Country for Old Men; a Coen brothers effort I borrowed on DVD from Greasby library. Wirral libraries selection of DVDs does, in general, leave a lot to be desired, but this one took me by surprise with how good the movie was. A West Texas road movie with elements of gore, and cat-and-mouse thrills.
Better Call Saul - I watched Breaking Bad in 2016 during a hiatus from work, when I broke my wrist following a fool-hardy attempt at cycling from London to Munich - not my finest hour. Route 66 cuts directly through Albuquerque, New Mexico, where both series were filmed. We are due to stay there one night on our trip, so we will no doubt absorb some of the filming locations while passing through. At time of writing, I have watched four seasons out of the six of Better Call Saul, and will complete the last two seasons when we are back.
The Harvey Girls This was another must-watch, because - as I have now learned - the real-life Harvey Girls and the Fred Harvey company were integral cogs in the development of the American West; many of the women migrating from the mid-West and other areas to become waitstaff at harvey Houses dotted along the Sante Fe railroad. And I have learned more about the role of women along Route 66 from watching a three-part documentary series from Assertion Films, The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road.
Viva Las Vegas - the word for Elvis Presley movies is surely 'formulaic,' but I can understand why Viva Las Vegas is a fan-favourite.
Rat Race - sticking with the Vegas theme, I decided to re-watch an old comic caper I used to have on VHS, from the early 2000's.
Bagdad Cafe - this was brilliant, though I regret we will not see the actual Bagdad Cafe on our own trip, as we will be taking the typical tourist detour to Las Vegas.
Little Miss Sunshine - another road movie. Saw this years ago, and had forgotten a lot of it since. But it all came flooding back upon rewatch. A cute film, where all of the characters change during the course of their road trip to California - perhaps something similar will happen to Adam and me, as we 'discover ourselves' along the Mother Road?
Stan - a Laurel and Hardy docudrama penned by Neil Brand. And I was fortunate enough to meet Neil Brand after his show at the Brindley theatre in Runcorn, just last week! I had no idea that he had written this radio/TV play, and he also featured on Paul Merton's Silent Clowns BBC4 series from 2006, which coincidentally I also have on a DVD, and rewatched that, too.
La La Land - the finale of this movie run, and a delight of colour throughout its two-hour duration. It's the oh-so-oft story of Los Angeles... crushed hopes and dreams. Played out like a musical theatre piece, it was the perfect way to finish this run of movies. Watched it on the eve of our own Route 66, on my mini ViewSonic projector in the bedroom with some beer and snacks. Poi-fect... as they would say in New York City.
The Grapes of Wrath - A special mention to this which is surely the story one should familiarise with before a Route 66 epic. Not content with watching the film only, I borrowed the John Steinbeck novel from Greasby library. With everything else going on (including having just formed a new band with a few friends, and the rehearsals) it has taken me over two months to sift through the pages. I am very glad I stuck with it though. One may enjoy a terrific jaunt on Route 66 without having gained knowledge about the dust bowl migration in the 1930's, but one is so much the richer for having taken the time to absorb the meaning of what travelling Route 66 used to mean for a generation of American 'Okies'. Once I had finished the book, I then watched the film. It is mostly loyal to the flow of the book but - understandably for 1940's Hollywood - it is not quite as raw. The ending of the book, in particular, is very sobering, whereas the film ends saccharinely by comparison.
There was a small indiscretion regarding the book which I am not particularly proud of. Basically, I put it in a plastic shopping bag which also had an empty can of Vault City chocolate stout from the night before - the dregs of which left some small staining on the first few pages. When I returned the book to Greasby library, I fessed up to David (who has worked for Wirral libraries for at least twenty years that I know of), and offered to cover the cost of the book. At first he said 'don't worry about it,' but after some consideration said he would probably have to withdraw it, and offered me it for 50p. I gave him a fiver. I am not one to deface library property, but I am now thinking: maybe fate meant for me to spoil the pages of The Grapes of Wrath with Vault City chocolate stout, because the edition has now become mine, with its own unique meaning and story to tell.
The Route 66 Podcast
http://www.route66podcast.com/
I need to make special mention of the Route 66 Podcast, which has kept me company for the last few months while running, in the car, and sometimes during housework and cooking.
On a hunch, back in January I checked Spotify to see if there were any podcasts relating to Route 66. As it turned out, there was one: The Route 66 Podcast. I will confess that my first impression was not overwhelmingly positive, but as I have listened over the weeks I have become hooked to it. Its opening jingle has been one of those things that gets stuck-in-your-head (in the nicest possible way). Indeed, the Route 66 Podcast has become a regular companion in my little earphones as I run alongside the Bridgewater canal and other localities.
It has been a joy to listen to all of the varied guests that host, Anthony Arno, has interviewed. They have currently just surpassed their sixty-sixth episode, which I gather is something of an achievement for a podcast. And the guests have been epic. I have gotten to know all the titan's of the Mother Road such as Michael Wallis and Angel Delgedillo, and also lesser-known people who live and work along the Mother Road. The Route 66 podcast is where I learnt about the Harvey Girls (and subsequently rented the DVD from Snips). As our trip has drawn closer, I have found myself wanting to listen to as many episodes of the podcast as possible, playing it in the car whenever I know I will be driving for anything more than thirty minutes.
Miscellaneous:
While watching the movie Paris, Texas, I noticed that one of the characters was wearing a baseball cap with the word 'Stetson' on it. I've always fancied owning a proper Stetson, but unfortunately I would have absolutely no use for a cowboy hat. I am not a big hat or cap wearer as a rule, being privileged enough to still be sporting a hearty head of hair at thirty-seven years of age. But looking at that cap on-screen gave me an idea. Could I maybe buy myself a Stetson cap for practical use along the road? I have done just that, and it is a thing of beauty. Along with the beard, it should solidify my temporary North American image.
Of course, YouTube is also a fountain of Route 66 resources. From the Route 66 podcast episode with Joel Baker, I explored the American Giants (Muffler Men) YouTube channel, and we may even stop at the American Giants museum in Atlanta, Illinois. I was impressed watching the Buck Atoms installation in Tulsa, which hopefully we will also see.
Michael Wallis - 'the Sheriff of Route 66' - presented a twelve-episode documentary about Route 66 from circa 2007, all episodes of which I have watched on YouTube to absorb information.
I have bought a Route 66 dairy/journal from drivingroute66.com. The intention of this is to jot down notes and stick in some receipts and tickets on some of the pages. Maybe some of those philatelist's hinges might do for that? [might still have a couple of those in my stamps box] There are many R66 journals out there, but I am glad I went for this one. Their website is a useful resource, and the texture of journal itself reminds me of the one I got from AmeriCan and Worldwide Travel back in 2015, for my Deep South drive.
Conclusion:
At time of writing, it is impossible to know exactly what the next couple of weeks will bring. My hope is that our plans go to plan, and that, if they do not go to plan, we have also planned for that. Our itinerary is bumper ambitious, but also has ample buffer room, I hope. Hopefully we will see and absorb as much as possible, resigned to the fact that it is impossible to see everything (as much as we might want to).
That much has been the preamble. I have seriously enjoyed it all, and I am now excited to see what the road itself brings us. Let us hope for a successful journey. But, above all, let us hope for a safe one - they don't call it Bloody 66 for nothing.
Here we go!
